A/N: Okay, sad fic time. Warning – character death. I hope you… like it! It's based on the song 'Love Lives On' by Mallory Hope.
Pete sat on the patio and watched as Claudia and Kerry played tag. He smiled as Claudia tagged Kerry, picked her up and carried the squealing five year old back to her father.
"A present for you." Claudia grinned, and Pete chuckled.
"Thank you." He smiled as Kerry used the chair to climb up onto his lap. "Hey, kiddo."
He tousled her hair affectionately. She took more after her mother than anything else. Her hair was like her mother's, dark brown and curly. She had her father's 'vibes', though, but her mother's precision, tidiness and often admonished her dad for not being 'by the book'.
Claudia stood next to Leena and surveyed the pair. "How is she?" She asked Leena.
"Happy. But she knows there's something missing." Leena told her, smiling sadly. She missed the woman who had become almost like a best friend to her. "She'll probably start asking about her soon."
Claudia glanced at the ground, feeling tears in her eyes for the woman who had sacrificed herself to save the rest of them. "That's going to kill Pete." Leena nodded her agreement. Pete had never been the same since she'd died.
Claudia looked up at Leena. "I miss her." She said softly, and Leena pulled her into a hug.
"So do I. We all do."
Pete thought back to when he'd called his mom to tell her the news.
"Pete?" Her voice was warm and familiar, even though they hadn't spoken for quite a while.
"Hey mom." He smiled, and Myka's hand found his.
"Why are you calling?" She asked, and Pete took a deep breath.
"I'm getting married." He told her, and heard her quick intake of breath.
"Oh my! What's her name? I have to meet her before the wedding. Oh, Pete, I'm so proud!"
His mom's enthusiastic reaction and happy tears were completely different to Myka's parents' reactions.
"Dad?" Myka had said when the person on the other end of the line picked up.
"Myka." He answered coldly.
"Dad, I'm getting married." Myka steeled herself for the reaction, but it wasn't what she had expected. She'd expected annoyance at them not knowing the man, but nothing like this.
"Why? Are you pregnant? For god's sake, this isn't your choice to make! You're my daughter! You have to ask my permission first! I don't know how I'm meant to explain this to your mother! It's going to break her heart!" He had yelled, and Claudia, Artie, Leena and Pete had all heard him, even though only Pete had actually been next to Myka. Myka blinked back sudden tears, and ended the call quickly.
Leaning on the table, she put her head in her hands. This isn't your choice to make. Whose choice did he think her marriage was? If her father had his way, she'd be married to some well off businessman whose father played golf with her dad.
It had only been a small affair in the local church. The congregation consisted of Leena, Artie, Claudia and Pete's mom. Myka's parents had refused to come.
He remembered the day that Kerry had been born. Myka had been irritable and moody for the last seven months, as Artie had refused to let her do any Warehouse work, unless it was computer work at the warehouse. Claudia had taken over as Pete's partner for the time being.
He remembered what had happened that almost killed him too. Kerry had been three at the time.
"PETE!" He'd looked at her, her curls framing her face in a dark halo. "Run! Pete, run!"
"I'm not leaving you!" He told her, going to take a step towards her.
"I'll be right behind you!" She told him, and ignoring everything his vibes were telling him he turned to run. Suddenly, she screamed. A blood-curdling, ear splitting cry of pain and suffering. He turned and stopped dead. Myka flew through the air, propelled by a streak of electricity. She hit the ground with an audible crack.
"MYKA!" He shouted as he ran back to her. She was lying on the ground, her eyes closed. He felt for her pulse. Weak. Almost non existent. He put his lips to hers, and breathed air into her lungs five times. He put his hands on her chest and started CPR. Tears blurred his vision. "Come on Myka. Don't do this, please."
He let out a strangled cry and tears flowed unstoppable down his face. "Myka…" He whispered, but nothing could bring her back now.
Still, her scream plagued his dreams. He would dream of them together, the good days, and then be awoken by that very scream.
He remembered her funeral. The first and last time he had met Myka's family.
Pete walked over to Mr and Mrs Bering. "You must be Myka's parents." His voice was dead of emotion; all of his usual jovialness had disappeared since Myka's untimely death.
"Are you the boy my daughter married?" Mr Bering asked angrily. Pete nodded.
"Yes, sir." He said, and stepped back quickly as Mr Bering's finger jabbed in his face.
"How dare you! This is all your fault! This is your fault!" He yelled, and when Mrs Bering tried to console him with shrugged her off. "You! You killed my daughter!"
The day had got significantly worse, if it can get worse than the funeral of one's own wife, who died protecting you.
He'd decided that he rather disliked his in-laws.
There had been speeches, and Pete found it hard to give his.
"She died for her country, saving others. Myka always was like that. She would protect others over herself." Artie allowed himself a small smile at the memories of Myka. "I will miss Myka dearly, and work will be a different place without her."
Pete stood up, and subconsciously straightened his tie. He could feel Mr Bering's angry glare, and he bit his lip. "Myka was an amazing woman, a true asset to the Secret Service. She was a good friend, a good wife, a good mother. I wish that I had been able to spend more time with her, but I guess that decision wasn't mine to make…"
His voice died away as his face filled with raw emotion, and he quickly sat down again, not able to say anything else. Leena squeezed his hand gently, and he was thankful for the kind gesture.
Kerry was an inquisitive person by nature, and liked to look around the warehouse for lack of other places to explore. The warehouse was by far the best place to explore.
She had walked down Aisle 56-B, and had noticed a wallet sitting on a shelf. She walked closer, and picked it up. She read the note beside it. Houdini's Wallet.
"Hey, honey." She turned around quickly, but no one was there. She recognized the voice from somewhere…
"Mom?" She looked around, turning in circles until she was dizzy. She sat on the ground, the wallet in her lap.
"Hey, honey." She looked up into the translucent face of her mother.
"Mommy!" She exclaimed, holding the wallet tightly.
"Kay, honey, you're going to have to make it without me." The spirit that was Myka said, and Kerry frowned.
"Where are you going, mommy?" She asked, and a tear slid down over Myka's cheek.
"I'm in… heaven." She told her daughter. "You should put that artefact back, honey. You don't know what it does."
"But, mommy…" The spirit glided forward and kissed Kerry on the cheek.
"Goodbye. I love you, Kerry." Myka smiled sadly as she faded into nothing. Kerry touched her cheek. It felt cold where the translucent lips had touched her. She slid the wallet back onto the shelf, trying to hold back sad tears for the woman that she would miss forever.
"Love lives on." It was only a whisper, and she couldn't quite be sure whether she'd just imagine it, but the little girl smiled through her tears and ran back to her father.
A/N: I hope that was okay. Please review!